1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a divider plate defining at least two physically separated compartments in an electrical box, which can be safely used for carrying a power conductor outlet and a communication conductor outlet together in the same box.
2. Description of Prior Art
The number of communication outlets which have to be located close to an electrical receptacle has greatly increased during the last few years. This has been caused by the growth in the usage of communication and entertainment equipment such as telephone recording machines, facsimile transfer equipment, PC computers, cable connected television, VCR's, etc.
In the past, in order to provide the communication connection for the equipment, a box, which supports a wall plate containing a communication outlet, was mounted on a wall stud. For convenience, this box was often located close to an outlet box containing the power receptacle. The building code for various countries, including the United States, prohibits the mixing of power and communication cables which carry different potentials in the same box without a physical barrier between them. Therefore, this practice requires that two separate boxes be used.
Generally, the two boxes, one containing the communication receptacle and the other the power receptacle, were mounted on wall studs and were spaced about 16 inches to 24 inches apart which is the distance between the stud centers. This contributed to the maze of cables often present in the back of communication equipment. An alternative for locating the power and the communication outlets close together was accomplished by mounting one of the boxes on the stud and the other on the wall close to it. An expensive "rework box" containing special clamps which allowed the box to be fastened to the wall can be used or often is used in order to locate the two boxes safely close together. The cost of such installation is fairly high and, therefore, this "rework box" is provided only on special request.
One of the most common electrical device boxes used by electricians is the "gangable" type where one or more individual electrical boxes are joined or "ganged" together to provide a mounting for two or more electrical devices. For example, in order to assemble this type of box for mounting two electrical devices, one side is removed from each of the ganged boxes and the two ganged boxes are assembled together by holding screws. This "ganged" arrangement is adequate and approved by the building code for carrying several electrical outlet devices for power equipment alongside each other, but as discussed hereinabove, in order to carry a combination of electrical outlet devices for both communication equipment and power equipment, a barrier or partition must be disposed between the two ganged boxes.
Generally, this partition is held in place with a screw or, alternatively, is not permanently attached at all. Permanently attaching the partition with screws is time consuming, especially if there are a number of partitions to be installed. If the partition is not fixedly held in place, then there is a risk that the partition will move, resulting in a time consuming operation in realigning the partition and/or resulting in a decrease in the safety factor which is unacceptable to the National Electrical Code.
Recently, several improved partitions or divider plates for ganged electrical outlet boxes were developed and are disclosed in patent application bearing U.S. Ser. No. 07/851,387, filed on Mar. 12, 1992, now abandoned, and assigned to Westinghouse Electrical Corporation, the assignee of the present application. Even though the partitions of U.S. Ser. No. 07/851,387 represent an advance in the art, installation of these partitions of this design require the use of fastening means and tools. Therefore, these partitions may present problems similar to those of the prior art in that their attachment in the boxes may be time consuming. There remains, therefore, a very real and substantial need for an improved barrier or divider plate for an electrical box which does not require external fastening means and accompanying tools for assemblage of the plate within the box.